


Until the Dawn

by gladixlusamicitia



Category: Saints Row
Genre: Eventual AU, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 12:59:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7758736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gladixlusamicitia/pseuds/gladixlusamicitia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She sits staring out of the window with him sleeping next to her. She wonders where it all went wrong, if it had started at the beginning or at the end. Yet Cecilia Samara knows that she is safe to wonder until the dawn comes.</p><p>Saints Row fanfic spanning the first and second game.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Canonization

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, I reworked my Saints Row bosses and I thought I'd redo the story that I had on here for them. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Come talk to me about your bosses as well on my Tumblr! oceansgrxywaves.tumblr.com

When you’re told to save the Row from being over run by three rival gangs that were pushing for power at that current moment in time, in the place that you’d spent most of your life, most people would either run for their lives or be stupid enough to join up with a new ‘solution’ that was in fact, just another gang, trying to apparently fix said problems with the Row. She just had to be one of the stupid ones; at least that’s what she believed to be.

Cecilia Samara stepped out of the alleyway and across the road from beside Brown Baggers, the morning sun shining down on the run down church that she had been told to go to last night if she wanted to be a major part of the solution. Folding her arms across her chest, she sighed as a small breeze caught her short and shaggy fiery red hair that reached the nape of her neck, making her grumble in disapproval. Her body clothed in a small neon pink vest, denim jeans, black boots, fingerless gloves and a small faux leather jacket. She’d definitely convinced herself that she was mad for believing the two idiots from last night…

Though they had saved her life.

The walk from her small dingy apartment, which she was still behind on the rent with, to the church wasn’t a long one, about ten minutes on foot. It’d be an even shorter journey if she had a car or a bike to travel around the city on but with the fact she couldn’t even afford to pay the rent, a car or bike was completely out of the question. It would also beat taking the overpriced train to the suburbs to visit her pretentious sister, Marie, who was taking care of something that was meant to be important to Cecilia. Her sister did nothing to help her, claiming it was Cecilia’s own fault that she couldn’t hold onto a job or a boyfriend long enough to make any money. A frown grew on her lips at the thought of her ex-boyfriend. He was the worst thing to ever happen to her and she was well rid of him, no matter what her sister said.

Even if her sister was looking after something more than just important to Cecilia, which gave the elder woman an advantage over Cecilia and her potential choices in life.

‘Stilwaters’ streets aren’t safe no more!’ one of the men’s voices from last night replayed in her head. No shit, you didn’t have to be a genius to work out that Mission Beach in the Saints Row district of Stilwater was currently one of the most dangerous places not only to live but also just to walk through. The police tried but it didn’t matter in the end, they were useless and Cecilia knew that better than anyone. A snigger left her lips as she remembered the incident from ten years ago then shook her head, it wouldn’t do her any good to remember that time.

Either way, her pale blue eyes took in the sight in front of her as she made her way up the front steps to the main entrance to the church, pushing the wooden doors open to the inside. It was exactly the same outside as it was inside, Cecilia didn’t really know what she was expecting when she assumed it would look at least a little cleaner on the inside, Marie would more than likely lecture Cecilia if she found out a gangs headquarters were in fact a former holy building, kind of ironic really, with all the murdering and illegal activities that would be going on inside these walls.

The room was filled with crumbling pillars of stone and broken wooden pews, only a few remained fully intact, leaving somewhere for people to sit at least. Gang tags scrawled across the walls as Cecilia wandered around, the heels of her boots clacking against the stone flooring. Her eyes casting onto the altar, ruined like the rest of the place.

“God better be on my side with whatever I’m getting my fuckin’ self into…”

Scoffing and shaking her head, she made her way out of the church, stuffing her hands into her pockets. There wasn’t anyone around, what was the damn point in telling her to come to the run down church if there wasn’t going to be anybody to greet her?

“Fuck this.”

As she began to cross the road, loud cheers came from her left in the graveyard of the church, raising an eyebrow, she turned on the spot and headed over in the direction of the cheering. A group of young men and a couple of women all dressed in the same shade of purple stood in front of two people. The same two from the previous night that had helped her. A chuckle left her lips as she slipped into the group, a couple of the gang members starting to whisper as she stood in the middle of the group, wondering why she was there. Still, her eyes focused on the two as she thought back to the events of the previous night.

_“Watches! I got watches here!”_

_The streets weren’t safe at night but Cecilia had no choice but to walk home after getting fired from her job. Giving her boss a very colourful mouthful after being insulted by a customer one too many times probably wasn’t the best idea she’d had in a long time, since probably working in that restaurant. That was a bad choice on her part but hey; she needed a job in order to pay the bills that kept piling higher and higher in her front room. Running a hand through her hair, she shivered pulling her leather coat around her form more as she tried to hurry back to her dingy little apartment. Shame the same watch merchant was still trying to sell Cecilia his fake merchandise every night and it was the same response from her as well._

_“Hey chick! This shit would cost you six hundred dolla in the store!”_

_“No thanks man.”_

_“Ah, whatever! Watches!”_

_Her eyes rolled as the man still shouted about his wares to the lone few people on the street, Cecilia coming to a halt as a single hoe stepped in front of her, wearing tiny lingerie and a pair of heels. Her hair scraped back with make up piled on her tanned skin, the red head could tell from the poorly placed make up around the hoe’s right eye that she was trying to cover up a bruise of some sorts. Either she was lucky enough to be some random pimps girl or unlucky enough to be one of the Vice Kings girls and by the golden lace on her lingerie, it was more than likely that the girl was one of the Vice Kings._

_“Hey baby~” She purred, winking while running her tongue over her bottom lip. “I can show you a good time…”_

_“Uh… No thanks…” Holding up her hands, Cecilia forced a smile before shaking her head. The hoe glaring and huffed before turning her head away, some voices from down the street catching the attention of both Cecilia and the girl.  
“Aw hell no!”_

_“Man, fuck the Rollerz!”_

_“Levar! You gonna let those bitches disrespect us?!”_

_“Shit, what you think?”_

_Three Vice Kings, sporting their signature yellow surrounded a brick wall with a single Westside Rollerz tag on the brickwork. One of the Vice Kings held a spray paint can in his hand that he shook and began to use in order to cover over the tag. Cecilia bit her lip when three men wearing their signature dark blue walked past her and the now fleeing hoe, the one in the middle carrying a baseball bat in his hand._

_“Fuck you think you’re doin’?” The Roller cursed, waving his arms about as a Vice King laughed in his face, the two small groups stepping up towards one another. A taunt left the Vice King that had stopped spraying the wall._

_“Just bein’ civic minded is all!”_

_“That so?”_

_“Yeah! Some dumb ass cracka went and shit on this wall… We just cleanin’ it up.”_

_The three main gangs in Stilwater all had control over one of three major businesses. Illegal businesses but then again, the police weren’t doing much to stop them. The Vice Kings, seen sporting yellow, had control over the majority of prostitution rings even if the two other gangs had a small rings in their own territory. The Westside Rollerz took care of street racing and car sales, Cecilia thought they were just rich kids trying to play at being a two-bit gangster that wouldn’t know how to pull the trigger if their life depended on it. And the final gang of the city, Los Carnales, normally seen wearing red, were a family based gang with heavy Columbian drug ties having been in Stilwater for thirty years. Cecilia always remembered them being around, there wasn’t a time when the Carnales weren’t in Stilwater._

_A loud cry of pain snapped Cecilia out of her thoughts to see the Roller with the bat had attacked a Vice King straight in the forehead with the wooden object, making her swallow sharply and step back. The spray can wielding Vice King punching the bat holding Roller out on the floor, barely dodging a punch from another before spraying him in the eyes with the can. The three men that had been attacked rose back to their feet, the two small groups beginning to brawl in the middle of the street as one of the Rollerz ran away past Cecilia._

_At that moment, a red convertible sports car pulled up with three men wearing red sat inside it. The one that had called shotgun was wearing a bandana over his mouth as he spoke to the Rollerz and Vice Kings that were brawling in front of them, revealing a machine gun from the inside of the car._

_“Hector says ‘Buenas noches’…”_

_“SHIT!”_

_The Carnale unleashed bullets on the Vice Kings and Rollerz, keeping his finger on the trigger as Cecilia attempted to make her get away. She wasn’t going to get caught up in a drive by killing on the corner of the street. The Vice Kings and Rollerz drew their weapons to fight back, shooting bullets as much as they could using their basic handguns. One of the Vice Kings managed to get close and shoot the machine gun wielding Carnale in the head while he reloaded only to be taken out by the Carnale in the back with an assault rifle._

_“FUCKERS!”_

_The Roller that took off came running back, screaming at the top of his lungs while holding down the trigger on an assault rifle at the car with the two Carnales still in it. Cecilia bolting over to the other side of the road in an attempt to get away only for the car to swerve out of control as the driver was shot in the head, sending Cecilia flying to the ground as the car crashed into the wall, bursting into flames._

_“Ugh…” The red head groaned as she watched the last Roller walk over to the surviving Carnale and shot him through the head, only to be shot in the back of the head himself by the last Vice King who snuck up on him. Cecilia’s eyes widened when the Vice King noticed her trying to pull herself away from the scene, his eyes narrowing as he snarled, walking over to her and pointed the handgun nozzle at her forehead._

_“Wrong time, wrong place, bitch.”_

_Squeezing her eyes shut, a gunshot rang out. Only a deep voice made her finally open her eyes to see a tall dark skinned man wearing black leather and a purple turtle neck shirt with plenty of golden necklaces hanging down his shirt in front of her._

_“You okay, Playa?”_

_“I think so…” Her voice was shaky. She felt weak and pitiful, just like before. She’d stood and done nothing, she could have gotten herself out of the situation if she’d just ran instead of getting caught up in the crossfire. Her eyes narrowed as she cursed her stupidity._

_“Julius, let’s move.”_

_His hand was held out to her, Cecilia gratefully taking it as she was pulled up to her feet. An Irish man speaking as the red head wrapped her arms around the shoulder of her saviour, walking with him away from the wreckage of the burning car. A yelp left her lips when the car exploded, sending the three of them forward slightly. Julius set her down by a wall on the corner when they were a safe distance away from the wreckage, crouching down next to her._

_“That don’t look so bad, you should be fine.” He commented on the scrape that she didn’t even notice on her knee. The red head just brushed it with the pads of her fingers then shook her head, nothing she hadn’t handled before. Julius motioned to the man behind him that was lighting up a cigarette. “That’s Troy, you can thank him later.”_

_“Hey.” Troy’s lip twitched as Cecilia nodded to him; he was around average height but seemed to be quite good looking. Wearing purple as well and held a shiny silver handgun in his free hand. Though Julius soon caught her attention again as he spoke to her, his tone serious._

_“The Row ain’t safe no more. We got gangs fightin’ over shit that ain’t theirs, and you in their way. They don’t care if you’re representing or not.”  
While he was talking, Troy seemed to get increasingly agitated with the situation and glared before speaking to the man. Seemed like the two of them were in charge of something and Cecilia’s thoughts of it being a gang were practically confirmed as Troy made his comment._

_“Julius, this is no time to recruit!”_

_“We need all the help we can get, son.”_

_“No, we need to get our asses outta here!”_

_“In a minute!” During their exchange, Cecilia just stared in confusion and raised her eyebrow. It didn’t matter, wasn’t like she was sitting on the floor in front of them while they had a one sided argument. She felt like clearing her throat to remind the two of them that she existed and that she was still on the floor and more than likely needed help getting home. Of course, she jumped slightly when Julius turned back to her, leaving with Troy just seconds after he spoke. “Look, the Row’s got a problem. Come to the Church when you want to be part of the solution.”_

_“Wait… What?”_

Her arms crossed over her chest as Julius began his speech to the members of the gang she was stood in the middle of. There wasn’t any doubt that the leader had a way with words, the rallying cry was enough to even make Cecilia feel better about the situation she’d placed herself in.

“Every motherfucker here knows what we need to do. Those bitches be ridin’ around thinking they own these streets!” He raised his hand, the entire audience enthralled by the speech. “I don’t care what flags they’re flyin… Rollerz, Carnales, Vice Kings… No ones makin’ us scared to walk the row. We about to lock this shit down… Right now!”

Loud mumbling from the mass of purple, Cecilia sniggering as she looked around the crowd and shook her head at the rising volume of ‘yeah!’ and ‘fuck yeah!’. Cecilia glanced up to see Troy and smirked towards him, he smiled to her as he lit up yet another cigarette, placing it in his mouth though nearly dropped it when the red head winked to him.

“Fuck yeah!” A young man in front of Cecilia called louder than the others, his hair two-toned black at the bottom, and blonde on the top with sunglasses covering his eyes. Her lip quirked upwards when he turned to face the rest of the gang but instead laid his eyes upon her, the only one in the crowd not wearing any purple. “Who the fucks this bitch?”

Cecilia’s eyebrow raised as she stepped forward to him, arms still crossed over her chest as she spoke, already she knew that she didn’t like this guy. He just oozed with arrogance and she’d only just met him. From the way he looked, he must have been of Asian descent but she couldn’t work out if she was right by taking a guess in saying Korean.

“Cecilia Samara.” The young man smirked as his eyes ran up and down her body. Though he wasn’t the only one as the rest of the gang started to swarm her, all staring at the odd one out.

“Troy and I found her. I was gonna see if she’d ride with us.” Julius called out, catching everyone’s attention again, Cecilia nodded in agreement then snarled lowly when the young man in sunglasses made yet another comment.

“Julius, if she wants to run with the Saints, she’s gotta be canonized!”

“He’s right, Julius.” Troy piped up making Cecilia sigh and shake her head. More trouble she’d gotten herself into. “Everyone had to do it.”

“Someone wanna explain what getting canonized is?” Cecilia groaned as she rubbed her forehead, it was well and good agreeing to something that she didn’t know anything about – for all she knew, she could be agreeing to sleep with any of these guys, even worse the one in sunglasses. She shuddered visibly at the thought only.

“Getting canonized is something we all have to do.” Troy explained, stepping down to the middle of the graveyard, stopping in front of Cecilia making her look up at him. He was only a head taller than her but even the red head had to admit that he was attractive. “You’ll fight against five Saints, you beat them all and you’ll have earned your colours.”

“Well then… You ready for this, Cecilia?” Julius spoke to her as five Saints stepped forward, Cecilia nodded as she pulled off her leather jacket, throwing it to Troy who barely had time to catch it and step back before the red head spoke to him, resting her gloved hands on her hips.

“Hold onto that for me~” She giggled then turned to the five Saints, the rest had formed a circle around them, stopping her and the Saints from escaping. The bells in the church chimed as Cecilia cracked her knuckles, ducking down when the first Saint stepped forward and threw a punch at her. Thinking quick, Cecilia threw a punch with her right hand up at his jaw, knocking him back reeling on the floor, clutching at his jaw. “Who’s next?”

Two Saints stepped up this time, clenching her hands into fists again, she breathed in sharply as the two came forward, throwing punches as Cecilia rose her arms to block the two punches until one of them attacked her by sweeping his leg behind her knee, knocking her down to the floor. Her right arm scraping down on the concrete path of the graveyard, drawing blood to the surface, tiny droplets dripping onto the dull grey flooring below her body.

“Fuck!” Cursing loudly, the two Saints above her laughed as she clutched her bleeding arm, curling into a ball, kicks from the two men began. Snarling, waiting for her chance, she kicked her leg up, hitting the man on the left between the legs with the base of her boot, catching him mostly with the heel. The very man collapsing on the floor, clutching his jewels as Cecilia sniggered, pushing herself away from the shocked Saint, that had ceased his kicks at the moment the red head had kicked his friend in the balls, and jumped up, ignoring the pain in her right arm as she threw a punch at his face then chest, following up with a kick in the gut to the floor.

Panting sharply, she glanced around to see the circle starting to cheer for her, a grin growing on her lips. A sharp punch connected with her jaw before she could realise it from a Saint that snuck up on her, her eyes widening as blood filled her mouth and a tooth flew from her mouth, bouncing across the concrete floor. Stepping away from the Saint, Cecilia spat onto the floor, blood splattering in small puddles as she snarled turning to face the Saint.

“You punched mah fookin’ toofh out!” Her messy voice created hoots of laughter from the circle and surrounding Saints, her eyes narrowing as she snarled, sounding like an angry puppy before retching into her mouth and spat blood into the face of the Saint that punched her tooth out.

“Dirty skank!” He shrieked, wiping at his face to get the mixture of Cecilia’s spit and blood off him. Taking the chance to step forward and head butt the man down to the floor, Cecilia rubbed at her head after then shook, rolling her shoulders. Four down, one to go. Blood dripped down the red head’s chin onto her pink vest as she waited for her final opponent. The final Saint stepped forward, the man in sunglasses, until he shoved another Saint in front of him – a nameless Saint. And here she thought the man would be tough enough to face her himself, no matter. She’d make sure that she got to fight him eventually.

Motioning towards the Saint with two fingers, she smirked with a ‘come hither’ motion, putting her arms up in a block as he threw punch after punch at her. As quick as he appeared, she swept her leg across his and brought him crashing down to the floor, kicking him in the gut until he cried out. A loud shout from the crowd caused her to stop, the sound of clapping and cheering as the circle dispersed, Troy stepping forward once again and grabbed her hand into a tight hold with a nod of his head.

“You earned your colours today.”

“Thanks…” Spitting on the floor once more, she gave a toothy grin to Troy, taking back her jacket from his hands. Cecilia jolted forward slightly when a new Saint stepped forward and slapped her shoulder in congratulations.

“That was some impressive shit; the only other Saint who kicked ass like that was Johnny!” The new Saint was a little bit attractive but not really Cecilia’s type, dark skin with black hair, wearing purple again but with a distinctive denim jacket over the purple. He motioned over to the man in sunglasses, making Cecilia pout her blood-covered lips.

“Shit, took me half the time.”

Julius stepped forward and bumped fists with Cecilia as he spoke, a grin on his lips.

“Welcome to the Third Street Saints.” His stance took on a serious one straight after, Cecilia crossing her arms, wincing slightly at the shooting pain through her right arm. “Let’s get down to business. If we’re serious about takin’ back the Row, we gotta let those motherfuckers know what time it is. Now you break it down, and it’s all about respect. Get enough of it, they’re going to back off and we’re going to move right on in. We got some friends in town that could use some help. Give ‘em a hand. Give ‘em a hand. ‘Course, you can always drop any mother fucker flying the wrong flag… So long as word gets out that the Saints is on the Row, I don’t give a damn how you do it, you feel me?”


	2. Back to Basics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cecilia gets her first flags and piece. Amongst other drama.

Cecilia sat inside the church on a broken pew, a Saint bandaging up her arm as she spat into a bucket, holding her tiny tooth between her fingers. Troy stepped over to the two as the Saint finished up bandaging her arm. The bleeding in her mouth had stopped but she still had a pretty gap from the missing tooth and a red stained chin and shirt from the blood.

“Thanks man.” Cecilia smiled as the Saint closed the first aid box and walked off to tend to the other participants of the canonization. Her pale blue eyes meeting with Troy’s own as she showed him her tooth. “Pretty ain’t she? Reminds me of my first boyfriend, smooth with a deadly prick!”

A howl of laughter left her lips, Troy just raising an eyebrow causing Cecilia to groan and roll her eyes. A silence fell between them as Troy perched on the pew next to her, her tooth slipped back into her pocket. Boots scratching on the flooring of the church as the red head swung her legs back and forth.

“Julius asked me to take you out, get you a piece, show you the ropes.”

“Back to basics then?” Cecilia rose from the pew, pulling on her jacket on again. A grumble left her lips at the sight of the blood on her vest, zipping up the jacket. “Mind if we grab some cheap clothes? I ain’t wearing this when it’s stained in my own blood.”

“Need to get you wearin’ the right colours anyway.” Shrugging while taking a drag from the cigarette, Troy brought the stub down from his lips holding it between his fingers before dropping it to the floor and stepping on the end of it to put it out. Cecilia following the man out the church to the small parking space where a slightly damaged Saints purple Zircon sat.

“Would have thought you had a better car than this.” She commented, as the car was unlocked, allowing her to climb into the passenger seat and Troy in the drivers seat. The interior of the car was pretty clean save for the strewn cigarette stubs dotted around the car.

“You can always walk.”

“Whoa, hey, it’s cool, I’m fine.”

Cecilia bit her bottom lip and fell silent as the car reversed, heading down the road towards most likely a clothes shop. Rather she hoped that was where they were going.

“Got any family?”

“Ballsy fuckin’ question for you to ask.”

“Just tryin’ to make some conversation here.” Troy sighed, taking a hand off the wheel to rub his face slightly. Cecilia’s eyes latching onto the tattoo on his right forearm when he put his hand back on the wheel. The tattoo was a cross of Celtic design if she was right, definitely Irish. “Humour me.”

“Ai-ight. Got a sister in the Suburbs, stuck up bitch if you ask me. She’s takin’ care of something for me. And before you ask, she’s not holding drugs or hoes; she’s probably the straightest fucker in this city. Straighter than the feds.”

“Straighter than the feds?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know.” Her eyes glanced across to him, a small smirk on her lips when she watched him tense slightly. “Cops. They can’t do jack shit. All these gangs on the streets, including ours now? And what the fuck are they actually doing to stop us all? Nothin’.”

“So what’s your point? You think that cops shouldn’t exist?”

“Maybe if they did a better fuckin’ job then I’d see a point in them.”

“You hate them then?”

“No.” Cecilia had leaned forward mid rant without realising it, shaking her head, she leaned back in the seat then scoffed, rolling her eyes. Hate them. No it wasn’t hate, not at all. “I pity them. Because my damn sister would do a better job than them.”

It fell silent. An awkward one as Troy pulled up outside a Sloppy Seconds. Climbing out the car and pushing the door shut with her butt, she rested her arms on the roof before giving a cheeky grin across to the slightly older man.

“So y’know how I’m gettin’ my flags? You’re payin’ right?”

~/**\~

“Seein’ as you asked a question, I think it’s fair I get one.” Cecilia’s eyes lit up as she spoke, legs up on the dashboard as she sat wearing a purple vest under her jacket. Troy smacked her legs, trying to get her to take her feet down from where she was resting them. “How old are you?”

“Feet down and I might answer.”

Rolling her eyes, she slid her feet down and sat properly in the seat, resting her elbow on the door. She glanced around for a moment before waving her left hand in an attempt to get him to speak.

“Come on, don’t keep me hangin’ here! How old are you man?”

“I’ll answer if you answer the same question.”

“Whatever man, stop stalling already! Tell me!”

Troy rubbed his face with the palm of his hand, Cecilia was acting like a child the way she was grinning at him. With a pained groan, Troy forced his age out to her.

“Thirty two. You happy now?”

“Troy, man, you’re not that much older than me, ai-ight? I’m twenty seven.”

“Twenty seven? You act like a child.”

“Eh, I just try to avoid responsibility, that’s all. That and I moisturise every day.” She gently rubbed her cheeks with the pads of her fingers as Troy simply scoffed at her, shaking his head as he focused back on the road towards Friendly Fire.

“Probably wouldn’t kill ya to act your age now and again instead of your damn shoe size.”

“Christ you sound like my sister. A fuckin’ killjoy… By the way, I’m a size five. Just in case you wanna buy me the heels I’ve had my eyes on.”

Cecilia laughed then shook her head, her eyes softening as she looked over at the older man. She crossed her arms over her chest, the smile falling from her lips as she turned her head away, glancing out the window.

“I’m messin’ with you, man. Seriously, ugh…”

It fell into an awkward silence yet again, Cecilia covering her eyes with the palm of her right hand. She was pretty good at making an ass of herself; she hadn’t felt a lack of confidence like this since high school when she wanted to date her ex. Shaking her head with a quiet hiss, she glared out the window, moving her hand from her face. It wouldn’t do her any good to think about that or him.

“Thought you were only twenty or twenty one. You certainly don’t look your age.” Troy commented then raised an eyebrow when he glanced over to her. “You ai-ight there?”

“Yeah, just… Shit. Old shit I don’t need to be thinkin’ ‘bout anymore.”

“You want to talk about it?”

“Sorry Troy, you’ve gotta at least buy me dinner first… And a lot of JD.”

She forced the smile back onto her face, winking at the man when she saw a small smile form on his lips. The car stopped outside Friendly Fire, just across the road from the run down church used for the Saints HQ, Cecilia shook her head as she unbuckled her belt, climbing out of the car. Troy slammed the door shut, locking the car before motioning his head towards the shop.

“Right, let’s get you a piece. You got anythin’ else for protection?”

Cecilia just held up her fists with a grin, showing off the new gap in her teeth. Troy just rolled his eyes, shaking his head in pure disappointment from her lack of maturity about the whole situation.

“Well, we’ll get you a handgun at least.”

While she’d seen Friendly Fire stores before, Cecilia had never stepped foot in one. She’d never actually needed to until now; still, glancing to Troy, she scoffed then shook her head. It wasn’t so much a surprise to her now as to why the police couldn’t control the gangs that were tearing Stilwater apart, with shops like these that anyone could walk into and just purchase pretty much anything? Yeah, it wasn’t a surprise anymore to her.

“Dude is that a rocket launcher on the wall?” She questioned when she laid her eyes upon the rocket; Troy pulled a face, Cecilia’s eyes almost sparkling with the thought of getting to wield one of them.

“It is and no. You’re not having one.”

“Spoilsport…”

The red head pouted as Troy shook his head, walking over to the case containing the handguns. Cecilia bit her lip, crossing her arms as her eyes glanced over each of the guns; she pressed a finger over the Vice 9 in the glass casing. It looked simple and to the point, just what she wanted. In the future, she could replace it with a better one but to begin with, it seemed right for her.

“That one.”

Troy nodded as Cecilia stepped away to look around at the other guns that were in the shop while he paid for the weapon. She still had her eyes on the rocket launcher that was sat on the wall; a grin grew on her lips before shaking her head and sniggered under her breath. Troy clearing his throat to get her attention, handing the gun to her, Cecilia smiling as she slipped it into the back of her jeans, hidden under her shirt and jacket.

“Thanks man.”

“You’re welcome… Want to grab something to eat?”

“Sure! You’re still paying right?” A cheeky smile on her lips, resting her hands on her hips as they left the shop. “Oh, mind if we nip back to my apartment first? Might as well go and put that blood covered shirt in the wash.”

She paused briefly before continuing, shaking her head.

“Plus I need to grab something to take to my sisters in the suburbs.”

“You want a ride up there?”

“You offerin’?”

Cecilia breathed a sigh of relief at the nod from Troy, climbing back into the car. Her eyes looking over him for a moment before continuing to speak, though the subject had been on her mind for a while now, the red head motioning directions towards her apartment as they went.

“So, the Saints, do we get paid for being in the gang or am I gonna have to search for a part time job?”

“The Saints will hook you up with connections when we find them and if we think you’re right for them, the people we sent you to will then give a percentage of the money towards you.”

“Which ones are more likely to drop cash in hand?”

“Off the top of my head? Drug trafficking, big time street races… Snatching girls from pimps pays well but the money takes a while to come through. You’ll make money with the right connections but it’s never gonna be clean.”

“Money being clean don’t bother me as long as it keeps my landlord happy- wait, what the _fuck?_ ”

As the car stopped outside, Cecilia burst out the car, her landlord throwing bin bags filled to the brim with clothes and personal belongings out into the street. When he laid his eyes on Cecilia, the man was bright red in the face, spitting and screaming at the top of his lungs.

“I want my money now! Right now!”

“Dude, what the fuck do you think you’re doin’ with my shit?”

The landlord was an angry man to say the least; he was short and chubby with grubby clothes that were a tad on the small side for him. His hair a murky brown in a short buzz cut, his face was still brightened red with pure rage as Troy got out of the car to observe the situation.

“I want my money!”

“Leave my god damn stuff alone!”

“Give me my money and I will do!”

Cecilia clenched her hands into fists as the landlord went back inside the apartment; Troy stepped over to Cecilia with concern written all over his face. Her blue eyes glanced to the Irishman, shaking her head as he spoke to her.

“Everythin’ alright?”

“Perfect… Just fuckin’ perfect.” The red head groaned as she rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand, moving them to her hips after, pacing on the spot. “Looks like I’m bein’ kicked out!”

Troy frowned, watching the young woman pace on the spot back and forth. Her head shooting up when the landlord burst out of the door to the apartment, throwing another bag of her belongings on the concrete below their feet with a single silver photo frame clenched tightly in his hand.

“NO!” Cecilia shrieked, Troy jumping slightly with wide eyes at the sudden outburst, the red head snatching the object from the landlords’ hand before he even had a chance to react to her outburst. “No! You’re not throwing that!”

“I want my money!”

“I don’t have it, I can’t fuckin’ give it you!”

“Then pick up your belongings, hand over the keys and get off my property before I call the cops!”

She bit her lip as the landlord motioned to the black bags on the ground next to them. Cecilia held the photo close to her chest, almost curling in on herself as she glanced over to Troy. The Irishman sighed rubbing his face before proceeding to pick up one of the several bin bags lying on the ground.

“I’ll give you a hand, ai-ight?”

“Thanks man.”

Cecilia was silent as she opened the cars passenger door, putting the photo frame face down on the seat before heading over to collect the bags while Troy opened the trunk of the car, placing the slightly open bag he held inside. Cecilia dropped the last of the bags in the trunk, her eyes landing on the open bag and scooped out a small present in bright pink and silver wrapping paper, from the way it was shaped, the object inside the present had been broken when the bag was thrown on the floor.

“Someone’s present?” Troy queried as Cecilia just threw the present back into the bag.

“Was… Can’t give it to them now.”

“Mind tellin’ me what it was?”

“A glass unicorn.”

The red head tied up the bag, slamming the trunk of the car shut then stormed over to the landlord that had oh so kindly bagged up her belongings for her, taking the keys to the apartment from her pocket, she shoved them into his hand and turned to face Troy.

“Let’s just go eat something.”

~/**\~

Freckle Bitch’s restaurant come diner was as low class as you could get and a cheap staple point in Cecilia’s diet. The tacky light blue and white colour scheme continued throughout the restaurant, Cecilia and Troy sat in a booth at a light blue and white checked table with one of the high school waitresses pouring more of the watered down coffee into the red head’s mug before heading off to take more orders. Cecilia picked up the steaming mug of coffee, sipping on it and pulled a face at the taste, glancing across at Troy who moped up the tomato juice from his breakfast plate with a piece of toast.

“So… Want to explain what’s so important about that photo?” Troy questioned when he finished the toast, licking a small amount of juice that had dipped on his thumb.

“Christ, Troy. You really like asking questions.” Cecilia placed her mug back on the table, brushing some of her fringe from her eyes, not noticing how Troy awkwardly shifted in his seat. “It’s a photo of my sister and my… my niece.”

She hesitated, grimacing as she poked the bacon sandwich on the plate in front of her then picked it up to take a quick bite. Troy shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Cecilia swallowed the food and put the sandwich back down on the plate.

“The glass unicorn was for her, my niece. She loves them; she’s been after one for ages. Cost me a fortune.”

“You sound like a great aunt to her.”

“Yeah, guess you could say that.” She trailed off, it was safer this way, she wouldn't come to any harm while she was with Marie, running her finger around the rim of the coffee mug when realisation set in for her. “I’m homeless.”

Her admission made her groan, Troy rubbing the back of his neck. Cecilia’s eyes suddenly focused on the rather interesting layer of grease that sat upon the table they were using.

“I’ll give Julius a call. The Saints may have somewhere you can stay.”

Cecilia raised her head, shock written all over her features as Troy took a mobile phone from his pocket, looking through the contacts for Julius. The red head stared across as Troy began speaking to the leader of the Saints, she swallowed sharply then continued to pick at her food until Troy ended the conversation, hanging up and throwing his battered mobile phone on the table.

“There’s somewhere you can stay, it’s pretty run down and needs work doing to it. It’s a small loft, nothin’ special.”

“I don’t care, it’s better than nothin’ at all.”

“You haven’t seen it yet.” Troy smirked at her as the red head picked up her mug, sipping the coffee. “Julius is expecting good things from you.”

“I won’t fuck this up, don’t worry Troy~” Cecilia laughed as she reached out with her fist, bumping Troy’s as he held out his own.


End file.
